to the pace of things here, Piper returned in a little less than an hour. She saw the surprise on my face when I heard her at the door.
“Didn’t think I’d come back?” she asked.
“No. I’m just surprised at how quickly you did. Your friend lives close by?”
“No, but I shot a wad on a taxi,” she said. She had two suitcases and a large sack of bedding and other linen.
“Wad?”
“Forget it.”
I reached for one of her suitcases, and we brought her things to the second bedroom.
“Have you been in shows?” I asked.
“A few regional and three off-Broadway productions that died a quick death,” she said, and threw her sack on the floor. She sat and bounced on the mattress. “Nice to have a bed after two months of sofa.”
“I’ll help you put your things away, if you like.”
“Naw, it’s okay. Plenty of time.” She took a pink pillow out of her sack and put it against the headboard. Then she lay back. “I’m from upstate New York, small town the size of one of these city blocks, if that. What about you?”
“Guildford’s not a big city, but it’s bigger than a city block, and there are nice houses and apartments outside of High Street.” Catching myself, I quickly added, “I mean the main street.”
Piper kicked off her boots. “Cozy,” she said, looking around. “You don’t know how lucky you are getting a place like this in this location.”
“Oh, I think I do, but you’d love my family’s home if you think this is the bee’s knees.”
“Whose knees?”
“It means something fabulous.”
“Dumb. If you ever got stung, you’d know it’s nothing fabulous. Leave a boyfriend behind?”
“No,” I said.
There was a silence that I think she interpreted as my waiting for money. “I checked my bank account before I returned. My agent hasn’t sent in my money for the last job yet. Should be this week.”
“It’s okay. We paid for this month.”
“So Grandpa won’t evict us?”
“No,” I said, smiling, but with a little nervousness.
She closed her eyes. “Great. Give me a moment or two. I need to catch my breath,” she said. “I packed and got out of there as if the place was on fire. Outlived my welcome, if you know what I mean.”
“Fish and visitors smell in three days.”
“What?”
“A saying by your Benjamin Franklin.”
“The only Benjamin Franklin I’d like to be mine is on a hundred-dollar bill.” She closed her eyes.
“Don’t you want to make up your bed so you can be comfortable?”
She didn’t answer. I shrugged and went out to clean the kitchen and make a list of basic foods. She was so quiet I imagined she had fallen asleep. There’s a difference already, I thought, recalling how hard it had been for me to fall asleep. Then I looked at my watch and paused.
How did she know the money wasn’t in her account yet? Weren’t the banks closed? If I asked her, she’d think I didn’t trust her, and she might leave.
When I saw my face reflected in the windowpane, it quickly changed to my father’s.
He was nodding, his mouth tight, his eyes narrowed.
FOUR
Twenty minutes after she had closed her eyes for a nap, Piper came into the living room. “Sorry I passed out on you. My girlfriend had a party last night, so I didn’t get to sleep on her couch until three in the morning.”
“Oh, that’s all right. I knew you must be tired doing so much so quickly.”
“Anyway, I didn’t forget.” She handed me the most recent edition of Playbill.
“Thank you.”
“I saw that there’s an open call the end of the week for a new musical. They’re looking for some supporting roles that require a little solo work. I circled the audition for you. I know this producer. I mean, I know of him. He’s always looking to make a discovery. Who knows? Maybe you’re it.”
“What about dancers? Shouldn’t you be going, too?”
“Different audition time. If they did it all together, they’d have a line of candidates that would go over the George Washington Bridge and back into Jersey. Anyway, I’m sorry about the money for the rent. I’m going to my agent’s office in the morning and get a check right from his agency.”
“That’s okay. I haven’t set up a bank account yet. I’ll do that tomorrow at the bank closest by.”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you there, and you can deposit the check right away.”
Relief washed over me. I would have hated to have made a second mistake in just over forty-eight hours. If I